


Salvation

by Higgles123



Series: Tommy Shelby one shots [3]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 08:28:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20832419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higgles123/pseuds/Higgles123





	Salvation

You were lying in bed with your eyes closed, the early morning summer sun peeking through the heavy lined curtains. Beside you, Tommy stirred and you heard the rustle of cigarettes and a click as he flipped open his sterling silver lighter. The cigarette crackled and Tommy inhaled before letting out a long sigh. 

If you were to open your eyes you knew you would find him sat up, bare chested with one hand propped behind his head as the other lifted the cigarette to his mouth once more. If you were to open your eyes, you knew you would find him staring straight ahead at the painting above the fireplace in your bedroom. A sweet little piece you had picked up in London; all flowers and beautiful colours. But nothing about its beauty could ease the man staring at it. Despite having you there, the nightmares still came every night. And when he awoke, it would take him a while to realise that it wasn’t real. None of it; the cold, wet mud encasing him, the tapping that echoed around him. But still he would lie there smoking cigarette after cigarette until his hands stopped shaking and his breath evened out. If anyone else were to see him lying in bed so casually this early in the morning, they would see nothing more than a man enjoying the peaceful hours that dawn brought. But not you. Even with your eyes closed, you saw a man who was plagued with terrors created by his own mind. 

The door creaked open and you were momentarily distracted from your thoughts as tiny footsteps padded along the floor. You felt a familiar presence stood beside your head, and felt the warm hesitant breath as the person peered into your face. 

“Don’t wake Mama up,” Tommy’s voice croaked, and you heard the footsteps disappear around the other side of the bed. 

“I want to get up,” your young son’s voice could be heard as he scrambled up onto the bed. 

“Well I’ll get up with you, won’t I?” Tommy ruffled his hair. 

“But I want Mama,” your son pouted. 

“Well Mama’s sleeping,” Tommy explained gently. “She always gets up early and we should let her have a lie in, shouldn’t we?” 

“Is she tired because she’s growing the baby?” 

“That’s right,” Tommy smiled, his eyes flicking towards the slight roundness of your stomach that can be seen through your nightgown. “She was sleepy when she was growing you too. It’s hard work growing a person.” 

“I don’t think I would like to grow a person in my belly,” your son decided. 

“Well you don’t have to worry about that, my boy. It’s only ladies who grow babies.” 

“Really?” Your son frowned. “Uncle John told me that you get a baby in your tummy from eating apple seeds. Does that mean if I eat them I won’t grow a baby?” 

“No, my boy,” Tommy chortled. 

“Daddy? I think that after this baby comes out of Mama, we should make sure that she doesn’t have any more apples. If we ask Frances, she can cut them up into little pieces for her and take the seeds out.” 

“I think that’s a very good idea,” Tommy murmured, pulling the small boy onto his lap for a hug. 

With a small smile on your face, you wriggled further under the covers and allowed yourself to drift back off to sleep listening to the gentle chat between your two favourite boys. Your hand moved subconsciously to your stomach and you felt a small kick. Smiling, you relished in the feeling of contentment that enveloped you. Tommy’s mind might have been full of darkness, along with many aspects of his life, but in this moment, you knew this was his salvation. Just as it was yours.


End file.
